Baal Defense Solutions
Baal Defense Solutions, or BDS, is a private security firm operating in the aftermath of the Human-Covenant War. Founded more than a decade before the war, BDS started out as a standard PMC, contracting out to the UNSC and colonial governments in an attempt to route out minor insurgencies or protect valuable sites that didn't warrant proper military attention. During the chaos of the war with the Covenant, they experienced a major shakeup when several prominent members of the company's leadership were killed during the evacuation of Miridem, including their CEO. After this, their new CEO began a rapid and expansive buildup of the company's assets, including buying out numerous smaller companies in several other fields. After the war ended in 2552, several government agencies were shocked and concerned to find what had been a relatively minor security firm had grown into one of the largest corporate conglomerates in human space, with hands in arms manufacturing, starship construction, terraforming, colonization, construction, and many more. History Baal Defense Solutions was formed May 27, 2513, by former UNSC Army Colonel Gerald Westbrook after he left the UNSC over disagreements with how the threat of the Insurrection was being handled. The company started small, performing small time security for corporations in the Inner Colonies, though as word of their competence and professionalism spread, they began a rapid expansion and performed their first operations in the Outer Colonies in 2518, defending government facilities and VIPs on . While on Lodestone, they were well regarded by both the colonial government and the locals as being fair and firm while on duty, preventing attacks by insurgent groups but not being particularly harsh on the civilian population, something relatively unique amongst the various PMCs and UNSC units operating in the Outer Colonies at the time. Their popularity was so much that by 2521, they were able to open an office in . After several successful years performing security, BDS began stepping up its operations, being contracted by local UNSC forces to engage lower priority targets, allowing UNSC forces to focus on more important targets. Over time, they became proficient in anti-insurgent roles and were frequently hired by governments on worlds that had been ignored by the UNSC in favor of more prominent hotspots like and , building up a substantial fortune and staff of highly trained, elite contractors. Organization Baal Defense Solutions, since its inception, has collected and acquired an all-star cast of individuals from dozens of different backgrounds to assist in the corporation's growth and expansion into new markets. Originally a mostly militaristic organization, BDS has gone from almost exclusively highering warfighters and warriors to highering up scientists, PR consultants, spies, logistics specialists, and all sorts of other technical specialists in a number of different fields that further augments the capabilities of BDS, far outstripping the capabilities of most of its competition and becoming a corporate power in the domain of both providing security and defense infrastructure. Under the direction of the company's leader, Frank Holloman, the roster of high-ranking individuals in the organization's ranks can be seen below. Many of them are war veterans from the Human-Covenant War or have some experience in the industry of warfare. Some of their backgrounds are so rancid, that there are groups out there willing to put blood money out for their kill-or-capture. Structure Baal Defense Solutions is divided into several distinct branches, each with their own command staff and de facto leaders, who are required to participate in high-level corporate meetings. Security Force As a private military company, BDS's main objective is to provide security and defense for governments and organizations, ranging from facilities, people, or individual items. To accomplish that mission, Baal Defense Solutions has a small army of highly trained and professional infantry at their disposal, equipped for numerous scenarios needed of a contractor, combat-related or otherwise. A majority of those in the Security Forces are ex-military, especially in the mass exodus of personnel from active duty to the private sector following the conclusion of the Human-Covenant War, though there is much non-military personnel serving in the branch. While most contracts only require a few dozen men at most, the Security Forces have been seen to operate in their hundreds during special assignments, most notably the Gilgamesh Conflicts of 2553-2555. Despite numerous attempts by various organizations to discern their size and strength, the true number of personnel in the Security Forces, and indeed the rest of the company, remain unknown and shrouded in secrecy. What is known is that BDS is able to maintain numerous operations across several different star systems simultaneously, seemingly with little strain on their logistics. BDS's Security Forces utilize state-of-the-art equipment and military grade weaponry, ranging from their own in-house version of the MA5D, the GTS-12, to M12 Warthogs and D77 Pelican dropships. While other, heavier vehicles and aircraft in service with the other branches, they are commonly seen in use alongside Security Force deployments. By late 2553, the Security Forces are under the de facto command of Frank Holloman, a former member of the UNSC's elite counterterrorist 1st SFOD-D, colloquially known as Delta Force. Holloman was hired early in the year and quickly showed himself as a brutally effective contractor and commander, but truly made a name for himself after leading BDS's initial deployments on the planet of Gilgamesh in September of 2553. Naval Squadron The concept of an organization outside the UNSC capable of fielding military-grade warships was regarded as fantasy by most before the outbreak of hostilities with the Covenant. During mankind's long war with the alien hegemony, hundreds of warships were lost in battle, their hulls burning in orbit around human colonies. It was not uncommon to find scavengers picking these hulks clean only days after the end of a battle, taking what parts were easily salvageable and selling them on the black market, a practice known as Grave Robbing. Few corporate entities ever attempted Grave Robbing, fearing that the risks were far greater than any reward until BDS came along. Using slipspace-capable tug craft, BDS salvaged the hulls of several Charon-class light frigates, returning them to their hidden shipyards in the Zeta Outeria System, which had been abandoned by the UNSC several years earlier in light of the advancing Covenant lines. Over the course of the next few years, these ships were restored to general operability, being used to ferry troops and other equipment between deployments. After the end of the Human-Covenant War, BDS formed a subsidiary company known as Baal Naval Works which produced numerous classes of various tonnage and purpose for sale to the UNSC and other, non-aligned groups. BNW also built ships for use within BDS's growing Naval Squadron, which was tasked with providing transport to the other branches along with convoy escort and planetary defense. The Naval Squadron was led by Commodore Alfred Darrington, a veteran naval officer of the war with the Covenant who left after the UEG's alliance with the Swords of Sanghelios. Air Corps Armored Corps Commando Force Subsidiaries As the head company of a fairly major conglomerate, BDS owns and operates a number of subsidiary companies, operating in a wide array of fields, from small arms to construction. Baal Naval Works By the 2530s, the Covenant began their assault on the Inner Colonies, destroying several important industrial worlds and leading to a general decline of war material. This included the loss of several important shipyards, lowering the overall capabilities of the local UNSC naval forces. In response, the UNSC began issuing grants to private companies who were capable of rapidly building up the necessary infrastructure to begin starship production. BDS registered the Baal Naval Works subsidiary as a licensed shipwright on May 15, 2538, operating from an impressive shipyard in orbit over the world of Inner Colony of Arkala. Despite starting off producing a multitude of SinoViet designed ships under license, by the mid-2540s, several prominent engineers within the company began a program to design several series of starships to manufacture, including early versions of the ''Quetzalcoatl''-class light frigate and the ''Templar''-class light cruiser. Wartime pressures meant that the majority of these designs wouldn't be fielded until the end of the war or after. Following the war, the UNSC began a massive procurement initiative aimed at rapidly rebuilding and rearming its battered forces, including the Navy. Seeing this as their chance to properly enter the fiercely competitive industry, BNW hired noted engineer Doctor Richard Foster to head up its various design teams. He was able to rapidly revise and finalize several crucial projects and push them into production by the end of 2553. Following the success of BNW's initial wave of products, numerous smaller companies began producing their own designs in an attempt to force their way into the market. In order to keep their momentum, BNW stepped up designs and production, marketing not just towards the UNSC Navy, but also the numerous colonial governments scattered across the human sphere, becoming incredibly successful in this regard, and though the competition was more varied, they often had more capital to carry them through. Products Corvettes *''Gladius''-class heavy corvette (After 2554) Frigates *''Quetzalcoatl''-class light frigate *''A. P. Hill''-class light frigate *''Alaris''-class heavy frigate *''Bavaria''-class heavy frigate Destroyers Cruisers *''Templar''-class light cruiser Battleships *''Virginia''-class dreadnought Baal Planetary Engineering Formed in the aftermath of the Human-Covenant War, Baal Planetary Engineering specializes in the terraforming of planetary bodies in order to make them fit for human habitation. Planned since that later years of the war, BDS spent a significant sum of time and money on terraforming equipment and personnel to operate it, banking on the hope that Mankind would be able to win the war and would need to reclaim its glassed colony worlds and expand to new ones. Fortunately for them and humanity, the war ended in late 2552, in a Human victory and almost immediately after their victory refugees began returning to what was left of their homeworlds, finding most of them in various states of destruction, their cities covered in an almost volcanic looking field of glass or a frozen wasteland. Seeing the opportunity for massive profit, BDS quickly registered their new subsidiary which soon began taking on several contracts, mostly de-glassing the colonies of , , and . Soon after, they began taking contracts from different colonization companies to help create worlds for them to begin settlements. Donaldson Resettlement, Inc. McGinnis & Sons Construction Mayberry Small Arms Kendall Frontier Home Defense LLC Category:Company Category:Safe Havens Category:Into The Unknown Category:ITU Factions Category:ITU Companies